Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-11-05

Juliet. Or-stay; no. The day after to-
morrow is Juliet's ben. We are playing
at Richmond. We have one Of Your own
parts-you shall be Sir Harry Wildair.
will alter the bills. You are sure to
Gomez"
"Sure to come" I said with animation.
Capital! l know every line in the part.
Tell Juliet an old friend will act with her. "
We made q few new arrangements and
parted. I bought a copy of the play at
Laey's and studied the part over again.
Next day I got over to Richmond in
good time. The day was fine, I remember:
my spirits were rapidly rising, because It
was the fifteenth day since l had n of
my usual attacks. l was in great hopes
that the old man was really going to
change his life and behave with consider
alton toward me. With the birth Of hone
there revived in my heart some of my old
feelings. 1 had q real desire to see Juliet
| again, but yet the old warmth seemed
gone. It was q desire to see one in whom
I had once been interested; the desire to
awake old memories, which I think prin-
cipally actuated me.
I found the dear girl waiting for me
with an impotence that ought to have
touched my heart, but which, somehow,
only seemed to remind me Of old times.
Ny heart was gone-sold to my master
with everything else. Mechanically /
took her hands in mine, and kissed her on
the lips as I used to do. She threw both
arms round my neck, kissed me again
and again, and burst into tears of joy.
"Oh, Luke, Luke!' she said, II have
so longed to see you again. The time has
been weary, weary, without you.''a""
We sat together for half an hour, she
all the time talking to me, aud I,-remem-
bering what I used to be with her, won
dering where the old feelings were gone
and trying to act as I used to.
Luke, you are not growing cold to me,
are your" she asked, as some little ,gest-
ure or word Of hers passed me unnoticed.
'"Cold, Julietr' 1 replied. "NNhat should
make you think so!"H rs
II will not think So" she said. sIt is
too great happiness to meet again, is it
not: And you are silent because you feel
too happy to speak. Ia not that so"
Presently it became time to go and
dress.
LET me look at you, Sir Henry Wild
air, b said. Eyes, we shall do it very
well tonight. You are not looking, some
how, quite 50 we'll al you used, Luke
dear. Is it that London does not agree
with you! Arc you working too hard!
Your face is swollen and-fancy-Mrs.
Mould says you look rs IL yon had been
drinking"
Mrs. Mould was the dresser.
If Mrs. Mould had seen me Il fortnight
before she might we'll have said l had
been drinking. A fortnight, however, Of
rest had done wonders for me.
I laughed. but felt a little uneasy.
We rang up at Z. ~
The house was quite full, because my
Juliet was popular at Richmond. So. .
I. began with all my former fire and
vlgOr, because I was acting again with
her. Tho old life came buck TO me; I for
got my troubles, I was really happy, and
l believe I acted we'll. At all events, the
house %applAuded. Between the first and
second acts a sudden terror seized me. l
felt that the old man wa eating again.
That passed on, because he ate very little.
Blu then he began to drink, and to drink
fast.
1t was no Use fighting against 1t. he.
lievc the villain must have been drinking
raw brandy, because l was drunk in five
minutes. | staggered and reclcd about
on the stage, l laughed wildly and sang
foolishly, and then I stumbled down in a
heap and could not get up again. The
last thing l remember is the e roal
Of poor old Kerrans, beside himself will,
passion, telling the carpenters to carry
that drunken beast away and throw him
into the road. l heard nfterward that
they were Obliged to drop the curtain, and
that the eclnt OF poor Juliet's benefit was
entirely spoiled. As for myseR, the car.
penters carried me out to the middle oi
Richmond Green, where they were going
to leave ME, only II of them had coinpas.
sion, and wheeled inc to his own house in
u barrow.
In tho morning l returned hastily to
London, sought my cottugc Mt lslinxton
and shut myself IN with an agony of
shame and humiliation.
l was quite crushed by this blow. For
the first time 1 felt tempted to commit
suicide md end IT all. To be sure I ought
to have foreseen this, and all the utlrr
dreadful things. Directly my master, my
owner, got able to swallow, though lie
could not eat, he could drink, and ordered
the most fiery liquor he could procure,
with a view to kill me Off and begin with
another victim.
But Providence had ruled otherwise.
Then began o week Of cruel suffering.
My master sent mi word by Boulc-de-
neige that he intended to flniSn me off
My appetite, lie said, had been long fail
ing, and was now perfectly contemplate.
He complained that I had neglected my
part OF the contract, that / must have
been practicing intemperance-the horrible
hypocrite-to have reduced SO flnc an
appetite to nothing in short four months.
Therefore he felt obliged to tell me that
in n week or two l should probably find
the agreement ended. That wa his
ferocious way Of putting it. He meant
that in Il week I should be dead. His
words were prophetic, but not in the SENSE
in which he meant them.
He drank brandy now. He drank it
morning, noon and night. lie drank it,
| not because he liked 1t, but in hopes OF
dispatching me. was no sooner partially
plunged into another.
l lost all power OF walking. | could not
move about. l lay the whole day sick
and feverish on my bed, or, if 1 got mp at
| all, it was only To change it for an easy
chair. could eat nothing.
Then l began to have visions and see
specters i'll my loneliness and misery.
First l saw all over again the scenes Of
my early life-my poor deserted mother;
the tramp who took charge Of inc; the
sleep in which I nearly persisted; the
strolling actors with whom l wandered;
the girl with whom l fell in love. Only
among them all there lowered perpetually
the ugly face of Boule-de-neigc, spelling
the pleasant memories, and %corrmpting
the current Of my thoughts with his
"Cluck-cluck," and bis demoniac grin.
Chow you do, Massa Lucraft? How
you feel FOUR stumjack this morning.
Ole massa him berry fierce. Him gwine
to mako the noyeau punch tomorrow.
Dat finish UNI off. Dat work UNI up.